Abstract
Cross-age peer mentoring programs are not always effective, and some researchers have questioned the effectiveness of this model. In this article, we use evaluation data to describe a project that has been going for twenty years. The project enrolls high school students as mentors to struggling elementary school students. The article reviews the current literature and details the perceptions of mentors and mentees regarding relational and academic benefits and disappointments. Both mentors and mentees report that the project gave them purpose, motivation, and a sense of belonging in the school and community. They also describe frustrations and regrets. Some findings echo previous studies; however, by presenting a twenty-year retrospective, and including mentor and mentee voices, the article provides a unique contribution to the field. The article provides an appendix with resources and recommendations for effective practices to those seeking to implement such a program.
Highlights
The bell rings and high school mentors make their way to the guidance office for their bi-weekly mentoring supervision meeting
A full description of project history and structure, community and school contexts, mentor recruitment and training protocols, activities, and evaluation plan can be found in the companion article, “A 20-year retrospective on implementing cross-age peer mentoring in a low-income rural community: A school-youth program-community partnership.”
We believe cross-age peer mentoring can be a useful support for struggling students, especially in schools and communities with high rates of poverty. (See Appendix: Guides and Resources for additional practice-based recommendations for optimizing the benefits of peer mentoring.) Since 1998, the Teen Mentor Project has received local, state, and regional recognition for its successful work
Summary
The bell rings and high school mentors make their way to the guidance office for their bi-weekly mentoring supervision meeting. Journal of Child and Youth Care Work These bi-weekly mentor meetings have been happening since the Teen Mentor Project was implemented twenty years ago. The six mentors are from grades 10-12; they are trained, supervised, and advised by the school counselor who partners with the program director of a community non-profit. Both advisors join the mentors in lively pre-meeting conversations and shift the focus to the agenda: check-in about mentoring concerns, decide on a quote for this year’s t-shirt, confirm plans for the holiday gathering for all mentors and mentees, and make sure mentoring logs are up to date. The school counselor physically moves out of the circle for part of the meeting, giving the mentors full rein on the direction and content of the meeting
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